<<If Al Queda manages finally to strike us in a big way again , will this help the doves or the hawks?>>
Well BT seems to think it'll tilt the election towards McCain. I don't.
A massive al Qaeda strike in Iraq would almost certainly send the U.S. public into a stampede for the exits. The militarists have been setting themselves up for months with their "light at the end of the tunnel," "we're winning this thing" BS and a clear-cut demonstration to the contrary would just be final proof of the bankruptcy of the pro-war crowd. Their credibility would be at an all-time low and McCain would be turfed out with the rest of the slime-balls.
A massive al-Qaeda strike on NYC would not be as clear-cut. My own take on it would be, clearly the War Party's sole inducement (protection) has failed, clearly they have been on the wrong path, and more of their fascism will result only in more devastating attacks, which the War Party is obviously incapable of protecting us against. However, another type of response is also possible: "Why those rag-headed cock-sucking brown-skinned little camel-fuckers, HOW DARE THEY? Obviously, we have not been tough enough on them before, so OK, no more Mr. Nice Guy, the gloves are comin' off." You could get a deadly mix of good old-fashioned American racism joined with militarism and imperialism all combined into devasting attacks on all mid-East centres not yet formed into U.S. satellites. Course, in the long run, that would all fit Al Qaeda's plan to a T - - radicalizing every fucking Arab not already radicalized and leading to a tidal wave of anti-government rebellion in all U.S. satellites in the ME and possibly elsewhere.